EU competition regulators will rule by December 12 whether to allow British budget carrier EasyJet to acquire parts of failed German airline Air Berlin's, the European Commission said today.
EasyJet filed for approval on Tuesday, according to the EU competition authority's website.
The regulator can either clear the deal with or without demanding concessions or open a full-scale investigation of about four months if it has major concerns.
The deal includes EasyJet taking on some of Air Berlin's operations at Tegel airport in the German capital, covering leases for up to 23 A320 aircraft and around 1,000 of its pilots and cabin crew.
The Commission is also reviewing Lufthansa's planned purchase of other parts of Air Berlin, with a decision due by December 7.
Lufthansa is expected to offer concessions, with the decision then likely to be extended by 10 working days.
